RALEIGH, N.C. -- All that stood in the way of Christy Hemme posing naked for Playboy were her clothes and her dad.

And when the WWE diva's dad, Bob, gave his approval, she had no problem removing her clothes for a sizzling pictorial in the April Playboy, which hits newstands this week.

"When I was 17 and was already doing some photo shoots, my dad told me he didn't ever want me posing nude," said the 24-year-old Hemme in an exclusive interview with the Sun. "When I was asked to do this, I went to my dad. If he hadn't given his blessing, I wouldn't have done it."

Hemme, the winner of last year's $250,000 RAW Diva Search, says she was uncomfortable when she first removed her clothes.

"The first day (of the Playboy shoot), I was so nervous," she said. "I had hives on my neck. But soon as I was walking around (naked), I got used to it.

"I'm ready for the next shoot. I enjoyed it. It wasn't like work. I've done a lot of photo shoots, but this one was magical."

It was important to Hemme that she got support from her family.

"My brother (15-year-old David) hasn't said much. I don't know what he thinks."

You can bet David is a hero at school, though. Having a sister pose nude for a major girlie magazine can't suck.

"My sister (21-year-old Deena) has been very supportive. She's my rock. She's my very best friend," said Hemme. "She was like: 'Can I (pose naked) with you?'"

It's not like Hemme's an exhibitionist. Far from it. The Temecula, Calif., native is just a bubbly girl who likes to have fun. Just watch her bounce down the aisle any Monday night on RAW, a bundle of energy that she says is very much her.

"I'm not shy, but I'm very modest," said Hemme. "I have to admit, though, when I'm in front of thousands of people in a bikini, I feel more comfortable.

"It was so weird to see (the naked pictures). Looking through the pages ... and actually seeing my boobs. I see it every day in the mirror, but this was just a little weird. It'll take me a couple of weeks, but I'll get used to it."

Everything's coming together for Hemme, who spent a year as a Juggy girl on the post-Jimmy Kimmel Man Show.

"It's been like a dream," said Hemme. "Every day, I just feel like I'm going to wake up and find out it's a dream. It's weird to have that dream come true.

"It's been a whirlwind ride. And I hope that ride doesn't stop. I'm going to work hard every day. I want to be here for awhile."

As a kid, she watched wrestling, with The Undertaker her favourite. And now she's hoping to get a bit more physical. She's been training to wrestle and on Monday night, she challenged Trish Stratus to a match at Wrestlemania, dropping the women's champ to the mat after a surprise appearance by another WWE diva, Lita.

Wrestling may prove to be tougher than removing her bra and panties. But she's willing to give it a try.